Types of Massage Therapy: Trager Method
TRAGER METHOD
Background: Also known as Trager Psychophysical Integration, the Trager Method is an Alternative Therapy that was developed by Dr. Milton Trager (1908 – 1997) when he was only 18 years old. Although he became an M.D., Dr. Trager used his therapy as an adjunct to his regular medical practice for over almost 50 years until the mid 1970s when the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA heard about it. With support from the Esalen Institute, Dr. Trager began to train practitioners in his methods. In 1980, with one of his students, Betty Fuller, he founded the Trager Institute; there are now thousands of certified Trager practitioners in various countries throughout the world.
Methods: For the client there is a passive and an active aspect to the Trager Method of bodywork. In the passive aspect, the Trager practitioner does a series of rocking and shaking movements ranging from gentle to vigorous to loosen restrictions in the limbs. To the client, the movements feel gentle, soothing, and non-invasive creating a sense of calm. The active aspect for the client is what Dr. Trager referred to as Mentastics®. Mentastics are a series of movements that are taught to the client to reinforce new patterns of movement allowed by the release of restrictions. These movements mostly involve shaking to promote greater relaxation and freedom of movement for the client.
Massage therapists training in Trager Method are taught proper techniques to treat patients and they are taught Mentastic exercises to practice themselves as well as to help their patients.
Results: People with a wide variety of ailments all respond to the Trager Method with degrees of benefit ranging from greater ease to the miraculous. The benefits of a Trager session are long-lasting and cumulative, with follow-up sessions promoting for more profound, longer lasting changes. Other conditions treated by the Trager Method include: stress, limited movement, back pain, depression, multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, sports injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, everyday aches and pains, muscle spasms, headaches, physical emotional trauma, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, and fibromyalgia.
Education/Career: The Trager Method is becoming a well known alternative therapy in some parts of the United States, and some spas and resorts offer Trager as one of their modalities. There are some massage therapists, often those with a private practice who are solely Trager practitioners, but the majority of therapists who do Trager usually do one or more other massage or bodywork modalities, such as Swedish Massage or Deep Tissue Massage. The U.S. Trager Association in Ohio is the main organization in the United States responsible for training Trager Practitioners. They have a certification program consisting of a combination of hands-on training, fieldwork, and supervised tutorials, allowing the time required for the development of the skills and experience of the individual required for certification. The program provides for Practitioner Certification at 226 supervised hours and Senior Practitioner Certification at 500 supervised hours.
